Park Terrace Gardens

Life on the top of the hill has distinct advantages for the residents of Park Terrace Gardens. Built in 1940, the five-building complex is called the “Gardens” for a reason; the entire center of the block is a lovingly landscaped private garden, with much of the planting done by a team of resident volunteers.

This sense of community extends from the annual garden party, where residents get to know one another, to more casual cookouts on the common roof terraces. These specially designed rooftop common areas are equipped with grills and tables so you and your loved ones can have a burger while watching the sun set over the Henry Hudson Bridge. Where else in Manhattan can you do this?

A lucky few even have private terraces attached to their penthouse apartments.

Located just blocks away from two parks, including the breathtaking 196-acre Inwood Hill Park, visitors from downtown often refer to Inwood as “the country.”

But don’t let the clean air, sweeping views and neighborly attitude fool you. Located blocks from two subway lines and a major shopping and restaurant strip on Broadway, Park Terrace Gardens is still is still very much a part of the big city.

The four-hundred unit complex, designed by Albert Goldhammer, sits on the site formerly occupied by Inwood’s legendary Seaman Mansion. Today, the marble arch, which once marked the entrance to the estate, can still be seen from Broadway.

Goldhammer was a renowned architect in New York City and many of his other buildings, including Co-Op Village on the Lower East Side, still stand today. Goldhammer was perhaps best known for bringing urban landscapes to life by employing art deco style alongside landscaped gardens.

Walking though Park Terrace Gardens today it is easy to imagine the magnificent 19th century estate with its once carefully sculpted grounds. While much has changed, the gardens, were, and remain, the soul of this hilltop property.

Park Terrace Gardens in 1941.

An uptown oasis, Park Terrace Gardens has all the modern amenities one could ask for: Rooftop common areas, modern laundry rooms, a T-1 internet line, electronic pass keys, concierge service, bike room, live in supers, 24-hours emergency service, security cameras and much, much more.

View of the Henry Hudson Bridge from a private terrace in Park Terrace Gardens located in Inwood, New York City.

Below is a current description of the complex from the Park Terrace Garden website:

“Park Terrace Gardens, Inc. is a 100% shareholder owned housing co-operative located in upper Manhattan. The complex is bounded by West 215th Street and West 217th Street one block west of Broadway. The property is a mid-rise garden apartment complex consisting of five, eight story buildings with a total of 397 units. The buildings were constructed in 1940 and converted to a cooperative in 1976.”

Park Terrace Gardens under construction, NY Sun April 24, 1939.

If you are interested buying or selling an apartment in Park Terrace Gardens please drop me a line using the below form. In addition to living in the Gardens, I am a licensed real estate sales-person with the Inwood firm New Heights Realty. It would be my pleasure to introduce you to my Inwood.

Hi there,
My name is Charlotte Nugent and I just love your site. My neighbor, Abigail, gave me the web address and said, “Here Charlotte, this should be right up your alley”. And indeed it was.
I first moved to Inwood in 1966 at the behest of my boyfriend, Bernie, who discovered the neighborhood in the early 60’s and fell in love with it. (the neighborhood does have that effect on people). I moved back downtown in the 70’s but later, when my husband and I were looking for a co-op I heard about Park Terrace Gardens from a Professor friend of mine who lived on Cabrini Blvd.
(“Duplexes with terraces and river views in Inwood!! Where?”) I made a “bee-line” for Park Terrace and we bought in the “E” Building in 1990.
The terrace view of the Henry Hudson Bridge in the picture above is from my terrace!! I don’t remember anyone taking a picture but “oh well”.
I’ve done some research on Inwood history and would be happy to share.
Great site!

Thanks for the kind comments. Abigail lives down the hall from me. I assume we’re talking about the same Abigail. The shot of the bridge is from my terrace. We must have similar views. I imagine there’s a rooftop gardening post in the making when summer starts to roll around. Let’s chat sometime. If you’d like to share any photos of Inwood in the 60’s please let me know. Keep checking in. -Cole

Hi Cole,
You must be in Connie’s old apt? That’s why i thought it was my apt. Almost the same view but from a slightly different distance. Yes, we are talking about the same Abigail. Yes, I’d love to exchange pics, sadly just a few faded pcitures from the 60’s but they are interesting.
Keep up the Inwood spirit. best, Charlotte

Awesome site. Glad someone has taken the time to compile all these historical snippets. In regards to PTG, I would just add that it is significant from a design perspective. The “tower-in-the-park” design of tall apartment buildings in a park/garden setting derives from French architect Le Coubusier. PTG was one of the first of these type of middle-class projects built before World War II. Castle Village in Washington Heights is a contemporary, but better known and on a larger scale.

I grew up in 70 Park Terrace West and my dad and brother owned Inwood Lanes. Park Terrace was an absolutely stunning place to live which I did not appreciate in my youth. Also, the picture of the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge (Henry Hudson as you call it), HAD to have been taken from “my” terrace! What a glorious place to grow up. Each terrace apartment was on a corner and we were on the northern most corner facing west. Apartment E81. I have such vivid memories of summer nights and running out to play with my friends: boxball, king/queen, three box baseball, etc. We were baby boomers and there were tons of us. Growing up in NYC in those days was fabulous and unique! Thanks for the site.

[…] Fitch soon realized he too was witnessing an historic moment. But in his story, the beloved underdog, once dubbed the “Mount Olympus of northern Manhattan,” hadn’t a chance. A scarcity of real estate combined with a local building boom rendered the once fantastic home obsolete. The home would soon be razed in order to make room for a five-building housing development to be named Park Terrace Gardens. […]

[…] Seaman-Drake estate, constructed in 1855 by John T. Seaman, stood on the grounds now occupied by Park Terrace Gardens. Famous for its fanciful gate at the bottom of the hill, actually a scale model of the Arc de […]

[…] in the neighborhood. The mansion is razed around 1937 to make way for the construction of the Park Terrace Gardens apartment complex. Today the only remaining physical evidence of the once sprawling estate is the […]

[…] the spring of 1940 Federal Census taker Katherine Lee began knocking on doors in Park Terrace Gardens. The sprawling five-building brick apartment complex sat on a hilltop in the Inwood section of […]

My friend Donnie Hurowitz from PS-98 lived in one of the penthouse apartments. His father was Dr Hurowitz who had his medical practice on 207th St near Seaman Ave. Donnie and I used to sit out on his terrace and discuss our futures. Donnie knew how to remove a secret panel behind the stairs so we could build a “fort” under the building. The space was low, but little boys do crazy things. Donnie grew up, became Donald, and became a clothing buyer for Alexander’s on Fordham Road.